4.5Natural Bridge State Park(2.097 reviews) - Pretty location, a little pricey for families Thursday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Geologic Formations
Once owned by Thomas Jefferson and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 215-foot tall Natural Bridge is a limestone gorge carved out by Cedar Creek. The park is more than just the bridge; beautiful forests and rolling meadows showcase the area’s karst terrain, and vistas of surrounding mountains and the James River valley display nature’s splendor. Access these via 6 miles of hiking trails, including the accessible Cedar Creek Trail that leads from the bridge to the Monacan Indian Village and Lace Falls with its 30-foot cascade. Living history programs connect you to the past and cover how people once used the area’s resources for survival and inspiration. Start at the visitor center where you will find exhibits and a gift shop. A shuttle from the visitor center to the bridge trail is available for those not wishing to take the stairs.See more..
Beautiful area. Be sure to take the hiking trail from the road near sky lift down to the north portal of the tunnel. Free chair lift pass included with cabin stay since the swimming pool was not open. We stayed in a cabin. It was very nice. Nice wrap around deck with rocking chairs to look out at nature. Kitchen was well stocked with fridge, microwave, toaster, and stove. Bathroom had a hair dryer in it. Shower, no tub. Mattresses are covered in a heavy vinyl cover for sanitation purposes. I'd bring a mattress protector or extra blanket to put under your sheets so it doesn't feel like you are sleeping on vinyl. Mattress was fairly comfortable. Fireplace is a gas one with fake logs. No need to buy firewood for it. There is a fire pit outside to grill if you want to. The kitchen had grilling tools in one of the drawers. Kitchen had a nice assortment of pots and pans, baking dishes, dishes, utensils. It had paper towels and dish soap supplied. Bathroom had hand soap in dispenser at sink and body wash in dispenser in shower. The camp host by the camp store was very helpful when the store was closed. That is where you buy ice and firewood. Cell service was spotty all through the park. It was better in the cabin than down by the tunnel, but not a strong signal.See more..
Natural Chimneys CampGround is amazing. We are here in September and only half full. Lots of space. Hiking and playgrounds. Spaces are sort of open so you can pull a trailer in a many angles. Clean functional restrooms and showers. Friendly hosts. The chimneys and hoisting field are quite interesting. A-C loops have more sun. D more shade, but mosquitos.See more..
4.5Burke's Garden(48 reviews) - Lovely land Thursday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Geologic Formations
We recently visited Burkes Garden. We 1st stopped at Maddies Place. Very friendly. They do rent bicycles, but we decided not too. It's a 12 mile trip we were told. We did get a map, and rode all through Burkes Garden. Very easy drive,. picturesque. Stopped at General store, they serve lunch, have few souvenirs & other wares. Lunch at Maddies was BBQ, large portions & delicious. Only draw back is curvy road to and from Burkes Garden.See more..
5.0Shenandoah National Park(25 reviews) - Shenandoah National Park in the Fall did not disappoint!!!! National Parks • Geologic Formations
The Fall Colors were amazing!!! I spoke with people who come every year just for the colors. You could stay in your car the whole way and have enjoyed the park. It's an easy park to drive through with plenty of vista spots. One negative is that some of the vistas are overgrown so you can't see "the view". But the ultimate experience includes hiking and there are multiple trails to choose from. I chose Dark Hollow Falls and even though this was Fall, there was still plenty of water coming over the multiple tiered falls. Very popular even on a Monday so parking could be an issue and it's "down and up" on a dirt path. It is WELL WORTH the hike. I crossed off another "bucket list" item walking along the Appalachian Trail for a bit. I ran out of time to travel all the way from the south entrance to the north entrance but I saw enough to "fill my heart." This was my number 1 reason for coming to this area and it did not disappoint.See more..
This was such a great hike! I wouldn’t call it a beginner hike because it’s essentially 3 miles uphill and at times you’re going through some questionable trail sections. That being said, this beginner hiker still completed it. The channels are so neat and fun to explore, we played Marco Polo. We went in January and there was snow up there but it still didn’t stop others from coming out to explore too. Like many other reviews state, there is very little parking and even on a cold, snowy January day there were only 2 spots left when we arrived at 11am.See more..
